A Stab of Happiness
by Adventuresomely
Summary: Ness is strange with his mannerisms - much stranger than himself, and in some way he could appreciate that for what it was.


"Man, this place is paradise, haha!"

The words left Ness' mouth in an instant as they – he, Paula, Jeff and their newly made friend, Poo – all wound up at the beach in a new set of clothing that was perfect for the semi-tropical setting. T-shirts, shorts, and in Paula's case, a one piece bathing suit that caught a few glances not only from the passing men, but from the boys in the group, themselves. It was to be expected – they were all a bunch of teens and Paula was a beautiful girl! Even as thoughts drifted into their heads about the blonde girl, they were just as quickly discharged with a slight blush crossing their cheeks. No need to think about that – they might be teens, but they were still only kids, too.

The sun was high in the cloudless sky, beaming down at them with such a perfect summer temperature; it was hardly a wonder why this place was so popular. The beaches were clean with perfect sand for building sand castles, or just for laying a towel out to sunbathe. It was definitely the picture of a great day, and while they were concerned with reaching the ultimate end of their journey, it was nice to just hang out and have a little fun while they still could! Who knew what would happen to them at the end of their adventure? None of them wanted to think of the possibilities, so it was best to settle down and relax for a while.

Poo wasn't exactly happy about it all – he hadn't expected undisciplined children when he had set off to help their saving the world, and he certainly hadn't expected them to be quite so happy-go-lucky, either. To him, this trip to the beach and this time for relaxation was a waste in his eyes. He felt that they were spending too much time enjoying themselves and not nearly enough focusing on the fact that the world could end at any given moment with how Giygas was proceeding. Was it that the world wasn't important to the others? Surely that couldn't be it – they were the other chosen ones, so they must've known what they were doing. They were so odd... So strange in his eyes with their customs and how they interacted. He'd never thought that being physical in a normal activity could be an affectionate gesture, or that one could spend so much time doing nothing productive.

He'd never thought that doing nothing could look so fun and be so tempting – it was against his customs to simply be idle and have fun. He had had enough of that in his youth, before the prophecy was told and he began his training. Flirting about with girls and giving in to his temptations – even if he wasn't under the watch of his Master now, he felt as though he needed to abide by his traditions and personal rules, ignoring the need for mindless release. All of his training in Mu would be useless if he gave in.

"Hey, c'mon, Poo! The water's great n' you're missin' out over there!"

Ness' voice rang out as he splashed Paula and Jeff, earning a loud squeal from the girl and a playful 'Hey!' from Jeff. They were having so much fun together, a sigh escaped Poo's lips as he let his gaze wander over them and to the water that enveloped them. The ocean really did look beautiful from this distance, glimmering as the sun's powerful rays reflected off it. It was a sight of perfection, and he was being stubborn as he tried his best to fight off the desire to join them. He had to fight off the desire, for his pride, for his ancestry, for his Master who was so far away now. It was the right thing to do, was it not? Yet, here he was idly lingering over such a concept – one that was so simple but troubled him so much. Why was it so troubling? Was it because they were doing something that he considered odd for the grand mission they had been chosen to perform? Was it partially that he was jealous and wished he could, too?

Lost to his thoughts, he didn't notice the soaking wet, capped boy approach him until he felt the boy's hand at his shoulder – to which his immediate action was to draw away and defend himself from harm, just as he had been taught. He was about to strike out at Ness, when he came to realize who it was and immediately ceased his action, looking down in embarrassment as a result. Ness drew back his hand as soon as Poo acted out in a hostile fashion, staring at him with a strange emotion – was it perhaps pity? Yes, it had to be something like pity, because Poo was so high strung all the time and almost seemed as though he didn't know how to just relax and have fun. He'd have to help the other boy out with that, he decided.

"Hey, c'mon... You don't gotta always be so uptight like this. Come play with us for a while, it'll be fun! We'll be on the way out of here tomorrow morning, so I wanna enjoy the beach with all my friends while I can! That includes you, man!"

A sigh escaped Poo's lips at the other's offer, and for a moment he wanted to explain why he shouldn't, or by his own moral standards, simply couldn't bring himself to relax. He wanted to explain it and tell Ness he couldn't rest until the world was saved, but when he glanced up once more and saw the look in Ness' eyes, while he held his outstretched hand to him; he lost heart to say it. The raven haired boy was so strange in his demeanor and so different from himself – he seemed really and truly happy with his life even with the ever looming threat that he may die on this journey. Perhaps, to that point, Ness was even more courageous than he himself. Yes, he was odd in his ways, but Ness was brave, strong, and charming in ways that he was not. In some way he looked up to those qualities and wished to instill them within himself.

"If you insist it, Master Ness..."

Again came forth the strange mannerisms that only Ness had, as he affectionately nudged Poo's side and took hold of his hand. The way he beamed so brightly and his voice took on a lighthearted, happier tone; he couldn't help himself but ease up just a bit.

"That's Ness, to you! No need to be so formal, man! C'mon, let's go, everyone's waiting!"

As he was pulled along, willingly letting himself follow Ness' lead without a struggle, he couldn't help but think to himself that maybe there was something to this way of life that he could get used to. Surely it was much different from what he had been taught, but if Ness was so happy and content with his ways, then what could be so wrong with it? Perhaps they could all be 'friends' and share some laughs and smiles from time to time after all.

That day at the beach surely did have many laughs and smiles, and even Poo was able to participate in them after all.


End file.
